


Pass the Nails

by butyoumight



Category: Kamen Rider Wizard
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2013-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-27 21:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoumight/pseuds/butyoumight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>'Cause I'll give you all the nails you need, cover me in gasoline, wipe away those tears of blood again. And the punchline to the joke is asking “Someone save us!”</i>
</p>
<p>To hold the Sabbath, Fueki Sou needs four mages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pass the Nails

**Author's Note:**

> An AU prequel of sorts to Kamen Rider Wizard, operating under the device of the Sabbath _requiring_ four Mages as the pillars. A bit of a character study into three characters who didn't get much attention at all, and one who I think deserved a better story with greater exposition.

Why was white considered the color of the dead, anyway? 

Of all the things Sora could be thinking of as he examined his bloodstained hands, this was foremost on his mind. 

He turned his head, noting objects and dismissing them just as quickly: her hand, cradled by the cropped hank of hair; the slowly expanding pool of blood, creeping around the brim of his discarded hat; his shears and the stains on them, already beginning to dry; the open door that led to the front path, and a silhouette standing there.

This finally startled him into action. He scrambled backwards, one hand hit the pool of blood and slid through it, leaving him sprawled on his back, arched awkwardly over her body. How long had he been sitting here, contemplating how stupid it was that white had been assigned to the dead, that her skin was already disturbingly cold to the touch?

“Do not be afraid.” The stranger said, stepping inside and closing the door behind himself. 

Sora was staring, and somewhere deep inside he told himself how rude that was, but he couldn't help it. This stranger was dressed head to toe in white (more white, all the time with the white), and wearing some kind of mask that looked a little like uncut gemstone... citrine, maybe, or topaz. Something orange, anyway. 

“Who are you?” Sora's voice came out as a shaky whisper that seemed to die before it reached the stranger's ears. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Who... are you?”

“My name is none of your concern. It is my occupation to which you should turn an appraising eye.”

Sora blinked a few times, then held his hands out in front of him. Once they were there, he noticed the blood stains again, and gave a manic little giggle at the sight. 

“If you're not planning on killing me, probably you should call the cops.” Sora knew he sounded flippant, but he couldn't help it. He could barely keep from crying. “I'm a murderer, in case you didn't notice. I just killed my sister, so I should probably be on my way to prison.”

“No, you will not go to prison.” The stranger intoned. He stood over Sora, doing something with his hands. It took Sora a moment to realize that he was taking off a huge ring (with a hand on it, weirdly enough), putting on another of similar size but different. 

His hands moved to his waist. He wore a belt there, it looked like the ring he'd just taken off.

Sora was pretty sure then that at some point he had completely lost his mind. Or maybe he was dreaming... Only when he pinched himself hard on the thigh, it hurt badly.

The stranger pressed a button, sending the hand on his belt rocking from side to side. Then he held his right hand over the outlined hand, and the belt spoke in a commanding voice that rocked Sora down to his bones.

**CLEAN UP, NOW**

Sora felt like his heart was going to shatter his ribs, leap out of his chest, run circles around the room. A giant circle of some sort, glowing golden, had appeared on the floor, encompassing all of them- Sora, the stranger in white, and the limp body of Suzume. A shining moment later, the circle dispersed as if it had never been there, and all of the blood was gone.

“Who are you?” Sora asked again.

This earned him no immediate response. The stranger picked up Sora's hat, turned it over in both hands, and then held it out to the boy.

“ _What_ are you?” Sora clarified. When he reached his now clean hand out to take his hat back, he found his fingers were trembling. He was so far out of his depth at the moment that he'd just as soon call the cops himself. 

Not dreaming. Maybe he was hallucinating. 

“I am a mage. So too will you be. You have earned the right, and now contain the power.”

Sora blinked at him, and responded with the only syllable he could muster. “What?”

“A mage. A user of magic. I sensed your despair from a great distance, and furthermore the power you exhibited to overcome it. In this way, you have proven yourself capable of commanding the power that now resides inside your heart.”

“You're... insane.” Sora said as diplomatically as he could muster. He thought he pulled it off pretty well, considering how he was almost certain at this point that he was insane himself, and didn't they always say, 'it takes one to know one'?

“Believe whatever you like. You _will_ accept this power. One day soon I will require your assistance, and I _will_ have it.” 

Sora shook his head, laughing weakly. This didn't make any sense... But then, what did anymore? 

“I don't know what universe you come from, Mister Mage, but in case you didn't notice, I definitely just killed someone very important to me, so it doesn't matter how badly you require my assistance, I'm going to prison as soon as the police find out.”

“No, this I cannot allow. _Will_ not allow.” The man stood straight again, exchanging rings once more. Sora's eyes widened.

“Can you... this magic, you said you have magic. Can you... can you bring her back?”

The man turned his head. Sora couldn't see his eyes, but he could _feel_ his gaze boring into him. 

“No. There is no power on this Earth that can revive the dead.” There was a tense note that Sora hadn't yet heard this man use... A tinge of fear. 

He spread his hand towards Sora, then brought it down to his belt once more.

**ANNIHILATE, NOW**

Sora watched, struck dumb, as a much smaller circle that looked identical to the first opened, this time surrounding only Suzume's body. 

The same extra-brilliant glow, but this time when the circle began to fade, it took Suzume's body with it.

“N-no...” Sora whispered, reaching towards the circle before it could fade entirely, but the mage's gloved hand grasped his wrist and held him back.

“Mind yourself, lest you lose that hand.” 

“What did you do to her? Where has she gone?”

“The body has ceased to exist. That is all. You will not be held accountable for this death.” 

Sora felt sick, suddenly. Cold to his bones. This was wrong. So wrong, so impossible. He pinched himself again, and winced. 

And then he laughed. A manic giggle, like the one before. And hadn't he always laughed, to mask his pain? 

The man produced as if from nowhere a strange contraption, which he tossed to Sora. Sora caught it by reflex, and when he turned it over he realized it was a replica of the ostentatious belt the mage wore. This was followed by two rings- the one that looked like the belt, and a much plainer one with an emerald green stone. 

“We begin your training immediately.”


End file.
